infinite zestI honestly don't see how you can live ANYWHERE in NYC and have a job that would pay like mine; I mean Baristas and such get tips and at most independently owned coffee shops or bars, tips alone on a Saturday night can usually cover half a month's rent in a one bedroom here in Portland, which used to be where everybody went because it was cheap and became "cool" because of stuff like this (well not like this, just artists doing their thing).. and I can get by because I just sublet, so I don't pay very much of my paycheck towards my dwelling; it just changes a lot.

And maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't New York pay people in the service industry something WAY under the minimum wage, expecting the tips to sort of make up for it? It was like that in Wisconsin. I knew servers who worked at 2.33/hr and so if it was a shitty day or people just didn't tip, well, they made in a full shift about what I make in an hour. Also, they don't allow subletting like it is out here (I mean you can crash at a place but be prepared to hide from the landlord unless you're on the lease.) Here, you're on a temporary lease if you sublet so landlord knows you're there. I don't really do anything extravagant but I've got enough money to get a couple beers after work and play pinball so I'm perfectly happy, but I could not take living in a place where I couldn't do that despite my hard work.

I think it would be cool to just find some little one horse town and put out a mass exodus notice on facebook. Just some boring little town in somewhere where it's not too hot in the summer or cold in the winter, bring stuff that people like (for example pinball for me, food carts for the foodies, art for the artists and art enthusiasts) and just put that place on the map! That's kind of what's happening with Bozeman; people are moving like cattle from Portland to there, but then POOF Bozeman's more expensive to live than Portland, etc. etc. vicious cycle. Just kind of a place that nobody knows about and go.

And I like the reference in the title here: Fear's Los Angeles sounds amazing! You could occupy a whole church for like 10 bucks a month, or so Penelope Spheeris would have us believe, but those days are over. Let the rich funseekers see how much fun their big towns are when all the cool stuff is gone and everything looks like downtown Chicago where the streets are paved with Subways and Dunkin Donuts. Like, seriously, what's up with that? Almost every block has a Subway and Dunkin Donuts on it. Like the one on the next block is too far away for you?

Old_ZirconIZ, I used to have a friend who waitressed in NYC in the mid 200s. She made 0-0 in tips most nights.

Old_ZirconOn the other hand, she could still only afford to live with roommates in an illegal building in a bad part of Green Point (years before Williamsburg hipsters took over Green Point) that had been an underground nightclub and brothel before they moved in, was only left uncondemned because the owner had strong connections with the fire department and subsequently burned down, nearly killing them. So even tips like that don't really go very far.

SolRoIf you're happy working a minimum wage job (or the equivalent for your areas living standards) for the foreseeable future, without working towards getting out of it through education or some other means, your life will eventually be really shitty.

There's people willing to go broke paying rent on a microscopic, unsanitary shithole in Brooklyn, and there's people willing to go broke paying rent on a microscopic, unsanitary penthouse in Manhattan! That's both kinds of people!

infinite zestYeah, when I worked at the bodega in Madison (which is priced about the same as Portland unless you want to live way away from the University) I was walking away with about 0 in tips a night, even on a bad night. And this was for easy stuff like ringing up a pack of cigarettes. Most people would just put their change in the tip jar. We had to sign something that said that we'd work for under minimum wage too, but it was more like 5.25 (for my assistant manager position) vs. the 2.33 or whatever it was. Plus it was the perfect college job. I just listened to music and studied all night, helping customers along the way.

But my job after that was at a movie theatre, where we were not allowed to accept tips. This wasn't the theatre's policy, it was the entire company, owned, of course, by Mark Cuban. New York was another place we considered moving, in part because I knew I'd have a job (once you're in Landmark's system you can transfer anywhere and they basically have to give you a job) and I'm glad I didn't because there were still affordable areas like Greenpoint but I'd have to take on at least 2 other jobs elsewhere in addition to the movie theatre, which at least let me scrape by in Milwaukee.

SolRo, I agree with you to a point. Some minimum wage jobs are fun because you can fuck around all day and if that's what people want to do, that's their choice. And people who graduated with Law degrees who can't find work, well, there is work. You might just have to relocate to a place you don't want to live in, which is kind of how my parents moved to Oregon in first place back in the 70s. So if you're working at a Starbucks and complaining about how your Law degree is going to waste, well, that's because you'd rather live in a "cool" place and have a shitty job than be a Lawyer. In my case I could've gone on to get a teaching certificate in Comparative Lit or Philosophy, and make more $, but I decided that I wanted to work with individuals with developmental disabilities. There's more advanced education I could get to be more than what I am now, but I'm comfortable with my decision at least for now. Oh yeah and 5 stars for these two for reasons I can't figure out. I mean, he CAN walk on his hands, so he can do something I can't do, but I also like how he almost falls on top of her at the end.

PotrodI live in NYC with a cheat code (negligible rent), so who am I to talk, but you do not need to be making anywhere close to 6 figures to live relatively comfortably here, at least if you're single. Minimum wage would be tough, yes, but you can get by on a teacher's salary.